I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore
The Kitty Dress from Maven Patterns has been on my list to sew for a long time but I couldn't settle on a fabric for it. When we travelled to Scotland over the summer, though, I found some medium-weight denim that would be perfect for it. This was always going to be a buddy sew with Mel and we finally found the time to do it a few weeks ago.
The dress has a strong 60s vibe. It features a Peter Pan collar and a horizontal dart across the 2 front, which I absolutely love. It's slightly fitted at the top but flares out over the hips. There are also 2 shoulder darts at the back. The patterns offers 2 sleeve lengths and I really wanted to sew the longer one because it has an elbow dart, but I thought the short sleeve would work better with the denim for a casual dress.
I absolutely love my Kitty. I made a size 10 up top and graded it to a 12 from the waist down but I probably would've been ok with a straight size 10. I'm not sure the dart is sitting at the right height though. I might raise it a bit next time. I think it looks fine but the sample photos look higher than mine and, since I've never sewn one, I'm not sure where it should sit.
This is my second Maven pattern (I've made the Rochester before) and their drafting is exquisite. I don't think I've ever sewn a flatter collar in my life. It's seriously impressive. Things just come together how they're supposed to, you know? Their instructions are excellent as well: there's the option to follow the super detailed steps if you need extra help or you can go for the streamlined version if you know what you're doing.
Another aspect I like is the different seam allowances for different parts of the project. It's really handy, especially in the areas you want to avoid bulk. Yes, I think it's safe to assume I'm a Maven Patterns fan.
My fabric is an 8oz denim and it was great to sew with, as denim often is. I did, however, cut all the facings and the front pocket bags out of leftover Liberty tana lawn. An inspired idea, might I add, as the denim would have been far too bulky, particularly around the neckline and collar. I forgot to take photos of it though so you're just going to have to take my word for it.
The Kitty really is a great pattern and I would love to make it again. I can hear that elbow dart calling out to me.